Forbes.com: The NFL's Best and Worst Teams for the Buck

T3. Kansas City Chiefs

Player cost-to-win Ratio: 65

The Chiefs seem primed for a breakout season thanks to a wealth of talent and a new head coach in Andy Reid, but recent seasons have offered little but disappointment for the team's fans. Kansas City had just one winning season from 2007 to 2011, and its 27 wins in that time are the NFL's third-fewest. At least the team didn't overspend for the futility; only the Bengals and Buccaneers have averaged lower player expenses. (Getty Images)

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Worth the Money?To find the best and worst teams for the money, we compared each team’s player cost-to-win ratio to the league average over five seasons from 2007 through 2011. Player costs include salaries, benefits and bonuses, and we weigh playoff victories twice as heavily as regular season wins. Each team’s final score represents how much better or worse it performed compared to the average team. A score of 120 means the team outperformed the league average by 20% in terms of games won per payroll dollar spent; a score of 80 represents cost efficiency 20% worse than the average team. (AP)

Baltimore went 5-11 in 2007, finishing last in the AFC North, but has won at least nine regular season games and one playoff game in every season since. Though the Ravens just signed QB Joe Flacco to a monstrous six-year, $120.6 million, from 2007 to 2011 they averaged annual player expenses of $138 million, barely over the league average. (Getty Images)

Pittsburgh has made two trips to the Super Bowl in our five-year timeframe, winning over Arizona in 2008 and losing to the Packers two years later. Player expenses have been high - the $147 million average payroll ties for third-highest - but worth it for the team that won the stalwart AFC North three times from 2007 to 2011. (AP)

The Pack's player expenses have begun to surge in recent seasons, especially now that the team has signed Aaron Rodgers to a record five-year, $110 million deal. But from 2007 to 2011, the team was 11th in payroll while consistently ranking among the NFL's top teams. Green Bay won 55 regular season games in those five seasons, and in 2011 defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. (Chris Szagola/Cal Sport Media/Newscom)

The G-Men missed the playoffs twice from 2007 to 2011, but their three postseason trips resulted in eight playoff wins and two Super Bowl victories. The Giants also spent an average $141 million per year in those five seasons, which tied for eighth-highest in the NFL. (Getty Images)

Only four teams have spent more on player expenses from 2007 to 2011, but it should still be no surprise that the coldly efficient Patriots top our list. In that time period, the Pats led the league in regular-season victories with 65, including a 16-0 run in 2007. The team has made two trips to the Super Bowl in those five years, though both ended in losses at the hands of the New York Giants. (Getty Images)

Only two NFL teams, the Saints and Cowboys, have spent more on player expenses in recent seasons than the Raiders. The result? A 30-50 record and no trips to the postseason. With the Denver Broncos appearing set to dominate the AFC West for the immediate future, the Raiders may have more on-field troubles ahead. (Getty Images)

The Chiefs seem primed for a breakout season thanks to a wealth of talent and a new head coach in Andy Reid, but recent seasons have offered little but disappointment for the team's fans. Kansas City had just one winning season from 2007 to 2011, and its 27 wins in that time are the NFL's third-fewest. At least the team didn't overspend for the futility; only the Bengals and Buccaneers have averaged lower player expenses. (Getty Images)

The Browns went 10-6 in 2007 but barely missed out on the playoffs (the 10-6 Titans took the final spot). Cleveland then won a measly 18 games over the following four seasons. Expenses haven't been too high - the team ranks No. 22 with an average annual payroll of $135 million - but playing four games annually against the Ravens and Steelers hasn't helped any. (Getty Images)

Detroit is currently among the NFL's more dangerous teams, but not long ago it was the league's biggest laughing stock. In 2008 the Lions became the first NFL team to ever go 0-16, and its 25 victories from 2007 to 2011 are second-fewest to only the Rams. The team ranked 18th in player expenses in that time span with an annual average $137 million. (Getty Images)

The Rams averaged player expenses of just $136 million from 2007 to 2011, good for 12th-lowest in that time, but they were nothing short of horrendous on the field. With just 15 wins, the Rams lost more games than any other NFL team in those seasons. In fact, the Patriots, the NFL's best team for the money, won more games in 2007 than the Rams have in all five of those years. (Scott Kane/ZUMA Press/Newscom)